Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This is the second Office Action on the merits. Claims 1-18 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 8-10, filed 05/01/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 10, and 16 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Mailer (US6876920B1) in view of Helligen et al. (EP2236020B1), hereinafter Mailer and Helligen, respectively.
In regards to claims 1, 10, and 16 under 35 USC 101, Applicant argues that the Office Action, filed on 02/02/2026, fails to set forth a prima facia case of obviousness. Applicant argues that the prior art of record, separately or in combination, does not teach or suggest at least “determining a pass width, extending parallel to the cutting width, for an agricultural harvest to make each pass across a field based on a determined dimension of the perimeter of the field, much less wherein the determined pass width is the same for each pass across the field.” Examiner found argument persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of Mailer in view of Helligen. Each of claims 2-9, 11-15, and 16-18, depend directly or indirectly, from claims 1, 10, or 16 in view of Mailer and Helligen, and by dependency of claims 1, 10, or 16, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103, as discussed below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-4, 6-8, and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mailer in view of Helligen.
Regarding claim 1, Mailer teaches of a system for determining the pass width of an agricultural harvester ("guidance assist system which is mounted to a tractor or other agricultural vehicle and which assists in directing the tractor back and forth…in passes that are parallel…offset from each other by a distance which is settable…and which is typically the working width of an implement towed by the tractor", Col. 1 line 66 - Col. 2 line 5), the system comprising: an agricultural harvester including a base vehicle configured to support a harvesting implement configured to engage crop material during each pass across a field ("a paddock including parallel rows 1 produced by passes of tractor 5 back and forth across the paddock", Col. 3 line 61-62, "tractor 5 tows an implement 17", Col. 7 line 15), the harvesting implement defining a cutting width extending between a first side and a second side of the harvesting implement perpendicular to a direction of travel ("the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 line 67, "offset from each other by a distance which is settable…and which is typically the working width of an implement towed by the tractor", Col. 2 line 5, see at least FIG. 1 also shows implement 17 being perpendicular to the direction of travel); and a computing system ("System memory 73, stores a program which is operatively executed by microprocessor board 61 in order to effect the functioning of the overall system", Col. 6 line 56-59) configured to: control an operation of the agricultural harvester ("processor 19 also sends commands to actuators of steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 lines 46-48, "FIG. 1A depicts…towing a field working implement along a closed path", Col. 3 lines 32-33, implies a perimeter); and determine a pass width, extending parallel to the cutting width, for the agricultural harvester to make each pass across the field ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67) wherein the determined pass width is the same for each pass across the field ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67).
However, Mailer does not teach of such that the agricultural harvester travels along a perimeter the field; access an input indicative of a dimension of the perimeter of the field; determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input; and based on the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of such that the agricultural harvester travels along a perimeter the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022]); access an input indicative of a dimension of the perimeter of the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]); determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input ("To determine the number of lanes to be arranged within the polygon ACEFGHIKL, the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined", [0023], "The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0025], this teaches a dimension (maximum width/distance) of the field's perimeter from boundary data); and based on the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field ("The width obtained in this way is divided by the maximum working width of the machine used on it. The result is usually not a whole number; it is rounded up to the nearest whole number n", [0026], "n-1 points 7 are defined on each boundary line at equal distances from each other and from the ends of each boundary line, as shown in Fig. 3. n-1 lanes 6 are obtained by connecting these n-1 points 7 on each of the quadrilaterals successively with straight lines", [0027], "To obtain the number of lanes, in step b) the maximum distance can be divided by the maximum working width and the result rounded up to the next largest whole number", [0011], teaches taking the field width, dividing it by the max working width (max pass width), and then rounding up to a whole number, i.e., a uniform pass width based on the perimeter dimension).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to travel along the field perimeter with the harvester, determine and access a perimeter of the field, and determine a uniform pass width for each pass based on the perimeter dimension with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to increase the effectiveness of the system by enabling it to work with irregular (e.g., non-rectangular) fields and avoid problems caused by non-uniform pass widths, usually entered by the operator (Helligen, [0002]).
Regarding claim 2, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 1 as stated above, additionally, the computing system further configured to: access a second input indicative of the cutting width ("The data entry means allows the driver to enter data indicating…the distance through which consecutive passes of the vehicle should be offset", Col. 2 lines 8-13, "System 10 calculates a set of concentric waylines offset from each other by the working implement width entered by the operator", Col. 6 lines 19-21); and determine the pass width based on the accessed second input ("The data entry means allows the driver to enter data indicating…the distance through which consecutive passes of the vehicle should be offset", Col. 2 lines 8-13 ).
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein the accessed input corresponds to an accessed first input; and the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein the accessed input corresponds to an accessed first input ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]); and the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field ("To determine the number of lanes to be arranged within the polygon ACEFGHIKL, the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined", [0023], "The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0025], this teaches a dimension (maximum width/distance) of the field's perimeter from boundary data).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to access the first input, a perimeter of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to utilize the accessed input to determine uniform pass widths and avoid problems caused by non-uniform pass widths, usually entered by the operator (Helligen, [0002]).
Regarding claim 3, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 2 as stated above, additionally, wherein the computing system is further configured to: determine the pass width based on the accessed second input ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67).
However, modified Mailer does not teach of determine a width of the field, extending perpendicular to the direction of travel, based on the accessed first input; and determine the pass width based on the determined width of the field.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of determine a width of the field, extending perpendicular to the direction of travel, based on the accessed first input ("the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined… The mean of the lengths of the selected perpendiculars is taken as the width of quadrilateral CDIJ… The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0023]-[0025]); and determine the pass width based on the determined width of the field ("The width obtained in this way is divided by the maximum working width of the machine used on it. The result is usually not a whole number; it is rounded up to the nearest whole number n", [0026]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to determine and access a perimeter of the field/width of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by determining the true perimeter of the field rather than relying on an estimated value (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 4, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 1 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of further comprising: a sensor configured to generate data indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field, and wherein, when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the computing system is further configured to: determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the data generated by the sensor.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of further comprising: a sensor configured to generate data indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("A route planning system for planning the tracks to be driven by an agricultural machine when cultivating area 1 comprises a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1, a receiver for location signals such as GPS signals, and a display instrument for showing a current position of the agricultural vehicle determined on the basis of the location signals and its intended position and direction according to the tracks planned by the CPU; the receiver and display instrument are located on board the agricultural machine", [0019], "As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022]), and wherein, when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input ("the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined… The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0023]-[0025]), the computing system is further configured to: determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the data generated by the sensor ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system. The steering angle is always at its maximum when the machine has to change direction at one of the corner points A, C, E, ... . The route planning system recognizes, based on the fact that the steering angle reaches a maximum, that the machine is located at a corner of the processing area and thus records the coordinates of points A, C, E, F, G, I, K, L", [0022]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to utilize a sensor for determining dimensions of a field and determine and access a perimeter of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by utilizing real-time sensor values to precisely map the field boundaries as the harvester drives around it, and by determining the true perimeter of the field rather than relying on an estimated value (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 6, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 4 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein the sensor is configured as a location sensor.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein the sensor is configured as a location sensor ("A route planning system for planning the tracks to be driven by an agricultural machine when cultivating area 1 comprises… a receiver for location signals such as GPS signals… the receiver and display instrument are located on board the agricultural machine", [0019]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to utilize a location sensor with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by utilizing real-time sensor values to precisely map the field boundaries as the harvester drives around it (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 7, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 1 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein: when accessing the input indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field, the computing system is configured to access a field map depicting the dimension of the perimeter of the field; and when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the computing system is configured to determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed field map.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein: when accessing the input indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]), the computing system is configured to access a field map depicting the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019], "If, at the beginning of a route planning process, the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of the area 1 are stored in the database, according to a first embodiment, the route planning system initially defines first driving lanes along the boundary lines 2 on the area 1 at a distance from the boundary lines 2 corresponding to half the processing width, taking into account the working width of the machine", [0020], Geographic database storing the boundary-line paths of the field = field map); and when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the computing system is configured to determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed field map ("If, at the beginning of a route planning process, the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of the area 1 are stored in the database, according to a first embodiment, the route planning system initially defines first driving lanes along the boundary lines 2 on the area 1 at a distance from the boundary lines 2 corresponding to half the processing width, taking into account the working width of the machine", [0020], "the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined… The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0023]-[0025], In [0020] the boundary lines are already stored in the database (field map), then [0023]-[0025] uses this data stored in the database to determine the dimension of the perimeter).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to determine and access a perimeter of the field and utilize a field map to depict field dimensions with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by determining the true perimeter of the field rather than relying on an estimated value (Helligen, [0022]), and the efficiency of the system by allowing it to plan uniform driving lanes from pre-stored data without need to drive the machine physically every time (Helligen, [0020]).
Regarding claim 8, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 1 as stated above, additionally, wherein the computing system ("System memory 73, stores a program which is operatively executed by microprocessor board 61 in order to effect the functioning of the overall system", Col. 6 line 56-59) is further configured to: after determining the pass width ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67), control the operation of the agricultural harvester such that at least a portion of the cutting width that is substantially equal to the determined pass width is used ("guidance assist system which is mounted to a tractor or other agricultural vehicle and which assists in directing the tractor back and forth…in passes that are parallel…offset from each other by distance which is settable…and which is typically the working width of an implement towed by the tractor", Col. 1 line 66 - Col. 2 line 5) to engage the crop material while the agricultural harvester makes each pass across the field ("the microprocessor is programmed to determine if the tractor is moving in the desired direction and if it is offset the correct amount from the previous pass", Col. 2 lines 15-18).
Regarding claim 10, Mailer teaches of a method for determining the pass width of an agricultural harvester ("guidance assist system which is mounted to a tractor or other agricultural vehicle and which assists in directing the tractor back and forth…in passes that are parallel…offset from each other by a distance which is settable…and which is typically the working width of an implement towed by the tractor", Col. 1 line 66 - Col. 2 line 5), the method comprising: controlling, with a computing system, an operation of an agricultural harvester ("processor 19 also sends commands to actuators of steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 lines 46-48, "FIG. 1A depicts…towing a field working implement along a closed path", Col. 3 lines 32-33, implies a perimeter); determining, with the computing system, a pass width for the agricultural harvester to make each pass across the field ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67), wherein the determined pass width is the same for each pass across the field ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67); and controlling, with the computing system, the operation of the agricultural harvester ("processor 19 also sends commands to actuators of steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 lines 46-48, "FIG. 1A depicts…towing a field working implement along a closed path", Col. 3 lines 32-33, implies a perimeter).
However, Mailer does not teach of to travel along a perimeter of a field; accessing, with the computing system, an input indicative of a dimension of the perimeter of the field; determining, with the computing system, the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input; based on the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field; and based on the determined pass width.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of to travel along a perimeter of a field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022]); accessing, with the computing system, an input indicative of a dimension of the perimeter of the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]); determining, with the computing system, the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input ("To determine the number of lanes to be arranged within the polygon ACEFGHIKL, the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined", [0023], "The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0025], this teaches a dimension (maximum width/distance) of the field's perimeter from boundary data); based on the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field ("The width obtained in this way is divided by the maximum working width of the machine used on it. The result is usually not a whole number; it is rounded up to the nearest whole number n", [0026], "n-1 points 7 are defined on each boundary line at equal distances from each other and from the ends of each boundary line, as shown in Fig. 3. n-1 lanes 6 are obtained by connecting these n-1 points 7 on each of the quadrilaterals successively with straight lines", [0027], "To obtain the number of lanes, in step b) the maximum distance can be divided by the maximum working width and the result rounded up to the next largest whole number", [0011], teaches taking the field width, dividing it by the max working width (max pass width), and then rounding up to a whole number, i.e., a uniform pass width based on the perimeter dimension); and based on the determined pass width ("The width obtained in this way is divided by the maximum working width of the machine used on it. The result is usually not a whole number; it is rounded up to the nearest whole number n", [0026], "n-1 points 7 are defined on each boundary line at equal distances from each other and from the ends of each boundary line, as shown in Fig. 3. n-1 lanes 6 are obtained by connecting these n-1 points 7 on each of the quadrilaterals successively with straight lines", [0027], "To obtain the number of lanes, in step b) the maximum distance can be divided by the maximum working width and the result rounded up to the next largest whole number", [0011]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to travel along the field perimeter with the harvester, determine and access a perimeter of the field, and determine a uniform pass width for each pass based on the perimeter dimension with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to increase the effectiveness of the system by enabling it to work with irregular (e.g., non-rectangular) fields and avoid problems caused by non-uniform pass widths, usually entered by the operator (Helligen, [0002]).
Regarding claim 11, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 10 as stated above, the method further comprising: accessing, with the computing system ("System memory 73, stores a program which is operatively executed by microprocessor board 61 in order to effect the functioning of the overall system", Col. 6 line 56-59), a second input indicative of a cutting width defined by the harvesting implement perpendicular to a direction of travel ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67); and determining, with the computing system, the pass width based on the accessed second input ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67).
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein the accessed input corresponds to an accessed first input, and the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein the accessed input corresponds to an accessed first input ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]); and the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field ("To determine the number of lanes to be arranged within the polygon ACEFGHIKL, the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined", [0023], "The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0025], this teaches a dimension (maximum width/distance) of the field's perimeter from boundary data).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to access the first input, a perimeter of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to utilize the accessed input to determine uniform pass widths and avoid problems caused by non-uniform pass widths, usually entered by the operator (Helligen, [0002]).
Regarding claim 12, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 11 as stated above, further comprising: determining, with the computing system, the pass width ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67) and the accessed second input ("The data entry means allows the driver to enter data indicating…the distance through which consecutive passes of the vehicle should be offset", Col. 2 lines 8-13, "System 10 calculates a set of concentric waylines offset from each other by the working implement width entered by the operator", Col. 6 lines 19-21).
However, modified Mailer does not teach of determining, with the computing system, a width of the field, extending perpendicular to the direction of travel, based on the accessed first input; and determining, with the computing system, the pass width based on the determined width of the field.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of determining, with the computing system, a width of the field, extending perpendicular to the direction of travel, based on the accessed first input ("the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined… The mean of the lengths of the selected perpendiculars is taken as the width of quadrilateral CDIJ… The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0023]-[0025]); and determining, with the computing system, the pass width based on the determined width of the field ("The width obtained in this way is divided by the maximum working width of the machine used on it. The result is usually not a whole number; it is rounded up to the nearest whole number n", [0026]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to determine and access a perimeter of the field/width of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by determining the true perimeter of the field rather than relying on an estimated value (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 13, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 10 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein: when accessing the input indicative of the dimension of the field, the method includes receiving, with the computing system, sensor data indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field; and when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the method includes determining, with the computing system, the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the received sensor data.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein: when accessing the input indicative of the dimension of the field, the method includes receiving, with the computing system ("a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]), sensor data indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("A route planning system for planning the tracks to be driven by an agricultural machine when cultivating area 1 comprises a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1, a receiver for location signals such as GPS signals, and a display instrument for showing a current position of the agricultural vehicle determined on the basis of the location signals and its intended position and direction according to the tracks planned by the CPU; the receiver and display instrument are located on board the agricultural machine", [0019], "As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022]); and when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input ("the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined… The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0023]-[0025]), the method includes determining, with the computing system, the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the received sensor data ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system. The steering angle is always at its maximum when the machine has to change direction at one of the corner points A, C, E, ... . The route planning system recognizes, based on the fact that the steering angle reaches a maximum, that the machine is located at a corner of the processing area and thus records the coordinates of points A, C, E, F, G, I, K, L", [0022]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to utilize a sensor for determining dimensions of a field and determine and access a perimeter of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by utilizing real-time sensor values to precisely map the field boundaries as the harvester drives around it, and by determining the true perimeter of the field rather than relying on an estimated value (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 14, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 10 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein: when accessing the input indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field, the method includes accessing, with the computing system, a field map depicting the dimension of the perimeter of the field; and when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the method includes determining, with the computing system, the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed field map.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein: when accessing the input indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]), the method includes accessing, with the computing system, a field map depicting the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019], "If, at the beginning of a route planning process, the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of the area 1 are stored in the database, according to a first embodiment, the route planning system initially defines first driving lanes along the boundary lines 2 on the area 1 at a distance from the boundary lines 2 corresponding to half the processing width, taking into account the working width of the machine", [0020], Geographic database storing the boundary-line paths of the field = field map); and when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the method includes determining, with the computing system, the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed field map("If, at the beginning of a route planning process, the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of the area 1 are stored in the database, according to a first embodiment, the route planning system initially defines first driving lanes along the boundary lines 2 on the area 1 at a distance from the boundary lines 2 corresponding to half the processing width, taking into account the working width of the machine", [0020], "the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined… The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0023]-[0025], In [0020] the boundary lines are already stored in the database (field map), then [0023]-[0025] uses this data stored in the database to determine the dimension of the perimeter).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to determine and access a perimeter of the field and utilize a field map to depict field dimensions with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by utilizing real-time sensor values to precisely map the field boundaries as the harvester drives around it, and by determining the true perimeter of the field rather than relying on an estimated value (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 15, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 10 as stated above, additionally, wherein, after determining the pass width ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67), the method further comprises: controlling, with the computing system, the operation of the agricultural harvester such that at least a portion of a cutting width, defined by an agricultural implement supported by a base vehicle of the agricultural harvester, that is substantially equal to the determined pass width is used to engage crop material while the agricultural harvester makes each pass across the field ("guidance assist system which is mounted to a tractor or other agricultural vehicle and which assists in directing the tractor back and forth…in passes that are parallel…offset from each other by distance which is settable…and which is typically the working width of an implement towed by the tractor", Col. 1 line 66 - Col. 2 line 5).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mailer in view of Helligen, and further in view of Rotole et al. (US20180325032A1), hereinafter Rotole.
Regarding claim 5, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 4 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein the sensor is configured as an imaging device.
Rotole, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein the sensor is configured as an imaging device ("For example, sensors that detect position may include…a camera", [0072]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teaching of Rotole to utilize a camera as a sensor with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to increase the functionality of the system by detecting visual conditions in addition to the position of the implement (Rotole, [0072]).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mailer and Helligen as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Vanbergejk et al. (WO2014105927A1), hereinafter Vanbergejk.
Regarding claim 9, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 1 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of wherein the agricultural harvester configured as an agricultural windrower.
Vanbergejk, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of wherein the agricultural harvester configured as an agricultural windrower ("there is no intent to limit it to the embodiments disclosed herein. For instance, in the description that follows, one focus is on an agricultural machine embodied as a windrower", [0014]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have combined the elements of modified Mailer with the windrower of Vanbergerjk to yield predictable results. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these elements since windrowers are a known type of harvester for windrows, allowing for controlled placement of cut crop material.
Claims 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mailer in view of Helligen, and further in view of Stephens (US20210185914A1), hereinafter Stephens.
Regarding claim 16, Mailer teaches of an agricultural harvester ("a paddock including parallel rows 1 produced by passes of tractor 5 back and forth across the paddock", Col. 3 line 61-62, "tractor 5 tows an implement 17", Col. 7 line 15), comprising: a frame ("tractor 5", Col. 3 line 2, frame is inherent); a pair of steerable wheels coupled to the frame and configured to move the agricultural harvester in a direction of travel ("steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 line 47, "…the tractor's steered wheels", Col. 8 line 7); a harvesting implement configured to engage crop material during each pass across a field, the harvesting implement defining a cutting width extending between a first side and a second side of the harvesting implement perpendicular to the direction of travel ("tractor 5 tows an implement 17", Col.7 line 15, "means and methods for increasing the efficiency of mechanised crop farming", Col. 1 lines 6-7); and a computing system ("System memory 73, stores a program which is operatively executed by microprocessor board 61 in order to effect the functioning of the overall system", Col. 6 line 56-59) configured to: control an operation of the agricultural harvester ("processor 19 also sends commands to actuators of steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 lines 46-48, "FIG. 1A depicts…towing a field working implement along a closed path", Col. 3 lines 32-33, implies a perimeter); and determine a pass width, extending parallel to the cutting width, for the agricultural harvester to make each pass across the field ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67), wherein the determined pass width is the same for each pass across the field ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67).
However, Mailer does not teach of a merger assembly supported relative to the frame and configured to direct severed crop material away from the agricultural harvester; such that the agricultural harvester travels along a perimeter of the field; access an input indicative of a dimension of the perimeter of the field; determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input; and based on the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of such that the agricultural harvester travels along a perimeter of the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022]); access an input indicative of a dimension of the perimeter of the field ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022], "a geographic database for storing the paths of the boundary lines 2 and edge lines 3 of area 1 and, if applicable, other areas, a CPU that accesses the database to calculate the path of the tracks on area 1", [0019]); determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input ("To determine the number of lanes to be arranged within the polygon ACEFGHIKL, the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined", [0023], "The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0025], this teaches a dimension (maximum width/distance) of the field's perimeter from boundary data); and based on the determined dimension of the perimeter of the field ("The width obtained in this way is divided by the maximum working width of the machine used on it. The result is usually not a whole number; it is rounded up to the nearest whole number n", [0026], "n-1 points 7 are defined on each boundary line at equal distances from each other and from the ends of each boundary line, as shown in Fig. 3. n-1 lanes 6 are obtained by connecting these n-1 points 7 on each of the quadrilaterals successively with straight lines", [0027], "To obtain the number of lanes, in step b) the maximum distance can be divided by the maximum working width and the result rounded up to the next largest whole number", [0011], teaches taking the field width, dividing it by the max working width (max pass width), and then rounding up to a whole number, i.e., a uniform pass width based on the perimeter dimension).
However, Helligen does not teach of a merger assembly supported relative to the frame and configured to direct severed crop material away from the agricultural harvester.
Stephens, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of a merger assembly supported relative to the frame and configured to direct severed crop material away from the agricultural harvester ("Windrower 5 also includes a merger system 20 which is disposed under chassis 11 for directing crop material being discharged from header 12 to a location laterally displaced from the longitudinal centerline of the windrower 5", [0018]).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the agricultural harvester of Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to determine and access a perimeter of the field and the merger assembly of Stephens with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to increase the effectiveness of the system by enabling it to work with irregular (e.g., non-rectangular) fields and avoid problems caused by non-uniform pass widths, usually entered by the operator (Helligen, [0002]), and increase the efficiency of the system by directing the crop material from multiple passes into a windrower, reducing the number of passes needed (Stephens, [0003]).
Regarding claim 17, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 16 as stated above.
However, modified Mailer does not teach of further comprising: a sensor configured to generate data indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field, and wherein, when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input, the computing system is further configured to: determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the data generated by the sensor.
Helligen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches of further comprising: a sensor configured to generate data indicative of the dimension of the perimeter of the field ("A route planning system for planning the tracks to be driven by an agricultural machine when cultivating area 1 comprises… a receiver for location signals such as GPS signals… the receiver and display instrument are located on board the agricultural machine", [0019], "As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system", [0022]), and wherein, when determining the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the accessed input ("As the machine travels along the edge of area 1, it continuously records its location using the GPS receiver and delivers its location and steering angle data to the route planning system. The steering angle is always at its maximum when the machine has to change direction at one of the corner points A, C, E, ... . The route planning system recognizes, based on the fact that the steering angle reaches a maximum, that the machine is located at a corner of the processing area and thus records the coordinates of points A, C, E, F, G, I, K, L", [0022]), the computing system is further configured to: determine the dimension of the perimeter of the field based on the data generated by the sensor ("To determine the number of lanes to be arranged within the polygon ACEFGHIKL, the maximum distance between the opposing boundary lines A-C-E-F and G-I-K-L must first be determined", [0023], "The greatest width of all quadrilaterals is assumed to be the width of the polygon ACEFGHIKL", [0025], this teaches a dimension (maximum width/distance) of the field's perimeter from boundary data).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, would have modified the teachings of modified Mailer with the teachings of Helligen to utilize a sensor for determining dimensions of a field and determine and access a perimeter of the field with reasonable expectations of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the accuracy of the system by providing the computing system with real-time location data of the boundary (Helligen, [0022]).
Regarding claim 18, modified Mailer teaches of all limitations of claim 16 as stated above, further comprising: an actuator coupled between the pair of steerable wheels and the frame, the actuator configured to steer the steerable wheels ("processor 19 also sends commands to actuators of steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 lines 46-48), and wherein, the computing system is further configured to: control an operation of the actuator to steer the steerable wheels ("processor 19 also sends commands to actuators of steering assist 21, which mechanically steer the tractor", Col. 4 lines 46-48) such that at least a portion of the cutting width that is substantially equal to the determined pass width is used ("FIG. 1…the straight-line segments…11A - 11E of path 12 are all parallel and are offset from each other at a distance 13 which is identical to the working width 15 of implement 17", Col. 3 lines 60-67) to engage the crop material when the agricultural harvester makes each pass across the field ("the microprocessor is programmed to determine if the tractor is moving in the desired direction and if it is offset the correct amount from the previous pass", Col. 2 lines 15-18).
Conclusion
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ABIGAIL LEE ESPINOZA
Examiner
Art Unit 3657
/JONATHAN L SAMPLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
Prosecution Insights